Do Not Be Afraid

My dear friends in Christ,

We all have fears. Some of these fears are worse than others. Then there are the things that we fear for no reason at all. There are some things that we don’t fear that we should. There’s a paradox in today’s Gospel. On the one hand, Jesus tells us not to be afraid, because our Father in heaven loves us more than all the sparrows in the world and knows us intimately down to the last strand of hair. Fifteen times in the Gospel, in fact, Jesus tells us not to be afraid, and almost every time He returns to the reason not to fear, because our Father in heaven — like any good father whom we remember on this Father’s Day! —will provide for us and protect us. Jesus instructed His twelve apostles to be courageous as they shared His mission of announcing God’s reign. Despite the coming darkness and opposition, they should be fearless in proclaiming the light and truth of the Gospel. Fear of persecution and death should not deter them. They should be more afraid of the Evil One who could lead them to eternal destruction. Jesus encouraged His followers by reminding them of their worth before God. Sparrows were eaten by the poor, and were the cheapest of all the birds. If God cared for these tiny birds how much more were God’s children valued? So today, Jesus asks us to be faithful. He tells us that we will never be alone in our efforts to do what is right.

Happy Father’s Day!

May God bless you all,

Father John